Lesson 6: Ask the hard questions.
Jesus was not rude, but he was blunt. He did not dance around tough issues. The Master looked at Nicodemus and asked, “You are Israel’s teacher, and do you not understand these things?” Ouch! The last thing a religious teacher wants to hear is, “You don’t get it.” Jesus gently asked the woman, “Can I meet your husband?” The truth was, she had been married five times and now she was living with a man outside the covenant of marriage.
In both cases, the hard questions moved the conversation forward and deeper. We need to ask tough questions, but do it with a gentle heart. Hard questions are not meant to trap people, but to help them look deeper into their own heart and upward toward the only one who has answers that will satisfy.
Lesson 7: Speak the hard truth.
Jesus told Nicodemus that unless he was born again, he would not see the kingdom of heaven. He told the woman that she would never have her thirst quenched until she came to the source of living water. Both of these tough truths needed to be spoken. Both helped the listener face deeper spiritual realities. As we listen and talk with the lost people God has placed in our life, we need to gently, but clearly speak the truth.
Lesson 8: See the felt need and address the real need.
Nicodemus thought he needed theological clarity and more information about Jesus. This was true, to a degree. But what he really needed was to be born again. Jesus was clear that a few minor spiritual adjustments would not be enough. Nicodemus needed a spiritual rebirth. The woman came believing she needed water. This was true, but she was satisfied with water for a day and Jesus wanted to give her water for eternity.
Every person we engage with has specific felt needs. We must engage with people’s longings, desires and dreams. But under the surface, we see that we were made for more. As we learn about people’s felt needs, we should see the real needs that God wants to meet. As we do, we can help others see the God who offers more than they imagine or dream.
Lesson 9: Nothing is off-limits.
In these two encounters we see that the arms of Jesus are open very, very wide. The whole of humanity is represented in Nicodemus and the woman. One is a man, the other a woman. One is an insider, the other an outcast. One is Jewish, the other is a Samaritan (seen as a half-breed and traitor to the Jewish nation). One is powerful, the other powerless. One is wealthy, the other poor. The contrast could not be more vivid. Jesus touched people with leprosy, he dined with sinners, he befriended tax collectors, he loved the outcast and he opened his arms to all who would come … including you and me! We need to be ready to joyfully engage with whomever God brings into our lives. Nothing off-limits.
Lesson 10. Watch for fruitfulness.
Nicodemus became a follower and was present after the crucifixion, helping prepare Jesus for burial. The woman was transformed by Jesus and immediately became an evangelist and helped start a revival in her hometown. We must pray for lives to be changed. We should anticipate that God will bear fruit through our lives when we walk in the steps of the Master and are mentored by Jesus. When we reach out organically, as Jesus did, the Holy Spirit will move in power, Jesus will draw people to himself and God will be glorified.
Kevin Harney is the lead pastor of Shoreline Church in Monterey, California, the founder and visionary leader of Organic Outreach Ministries International, and the author of the Organic Outreach series and many other books, studies and articles. For more information: KevinGHarney.com